Buying an ecar

Are you thinking of buying an electric car but are unsure of how to go about it? Here are six steps to guide you through the process:

1. Visit an ecar dealer

Just like buying any car, the first step is to visit your local car dealer and pick your desired electric vehicle. You might want to test drive few electric vehicles to ensure you pick a car best suited for your needs. To view a list of electric cars and vans available to buy in the UK, please visit our electric cars and vans page.

2. Claim your Plug-in Car or Van Grant

While at the dealership, the dealers will take your details to check eligibility for the Plug-in Car or Van Grant. The dealer will look after all the administration and you will only have to pay the net cost of the car. You can get up to £5,000 towards the purchase of an electric car and up to £8,000 towards the purchase of an electric van. To see a list of cars and vans qualifying for the plug-in car or van grant please visit our Plug-in car and van grant page. For detailed information on Plug-in car and van grants please visit the Office for Low Emission Vehicles website.

3. Order/buy your electric car

Once you are approved for the Plug-in car or van grant then you can finalise the order of your electric car with your dealer.

4. Register online

Next, you will need to register online with the ecar team to ensure you have an RFID card to allow you to access Northern Ireland’s public charging infrastructure.

5. Home charge point installation

Once you have purchased your ecar and registered online you will be sent an ecar welcome pack (including access cards) to enable you to charge using the public charging infrastructure.

To install a home charge point ecar drivers can arrange installation through the various dealers at the point of purchase or lease. The majority of EV dealers in Northern Ireland have arrangements with accredited installers in place to allow EV drivers to access a grant for the installation of home charge points. Further information is available on the OLEV website